Strand for making braided rugs and the like and the method of making



W. H. ADAMS Oct. 18, 1932.

STRAND FOR MAKING BRAIDED RUGS AND THE LIKE AND THE METHOD OF MAKING Filed Sept. 30, 1931 Fig.1.

' \nveni'or.

Wflham H.Adams yf/a ATTys Patented Oct. 18, 1 932,

untrue STATES PATENT oFricE i WILLIAM H. ADAMS, OF IK ENYON, RHODE 'ISLAND STRAND FOR MAKING BRAIDED rwes AND FTHE'LIKE ANDTEE METHOD or MAKING Application filed September 30, 1931. Serial No. 565,988.

This invention relates to the making of a strand or tape for use in making braided rugs and the like and it has'for its object to provide a novel strand or tape which can be made from coarsely woven and relatively inexpensive fabric but which will have the same appearance when woven into a rug as a tape made of relatively expensive finely woven or lustrous fabric.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel method of making a strand or tape of this character. I

In carrying out my invention I propose to make the strandor tape from a relatively inexpensive and preferably coarsely woven light weight fabric which may be either plain or dyed in appropriate colors. This fabric is cut into strips of proper width from which the individual strands or tape are made as 29 will be presently described. Either before or after the fabric is cut into these strips it is subjected to a napping operation on one face which raises a pile suificientto hide or back on the central portion of the strip until the edges meet in the center, the folding being done so as to place the napped surface on the outside. This makes a tw0ply strip one half the width of the originalstrip and this two-ply strip is then again folded along a meeting line of the edges of the fabric thereby hiding the raw edges and producing a 4 four-ply strand or tape having smooth rounded edges. This four-ply tape is then braided into a rug or the like in usual way and because of the manner in which the tape or strip is formed the completed rug will have the attractive appearance of a rug made of a braid produced from'strands made from 'tion.

In either case, p

a fine relatively expensive or lustrous fabric. :In order to give an understandingof the invention I have illustrated in the drawing a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described after which the novel features will be'pointed out in the appended claims. a

Fig. 1 is a View showing the operation of napping the cloth; 7 V I Fig. 2 is a fragmentary View illustrating a portion ofthe strip from which the tape is formed;

Fig. 3 is a view of a section of braidformed from my improved strip ortape; p

p F ig. 4 shows the operation of folding the strip into theform of a four-ply tape; 7 Fig. 5 is a View of a section of the folded tape from which the braidshown in Fig; 3

formed;' 8 f p FigfG is a view illustrating a mat or cushion made fromtape embodying the inven- The strand or tape embodying my invention is made from a strip 1 of cloth which is a light weight, relatively inexpensive cloth and which maybe more or less coarsely, woven; One surfaceof each strip is subjected to a napping operation for the purpose of raising a pile and giving said face of the strip a pile surface sufiicient to hide or obscure the weave 5. structure. The strips are cut from a web 2 of cloth and the napping operation maybe performed on the web before it is cut into strips or on the strips after they are cut from the web. It will probably be more convenient to perform the napping operation on the web of cloth beforeit is cut into strips than on the individual strips but the important thing is to provide the strips with a pile face produced by napping one surface of the fab 1 no. i r

The strips l arecut with a width approximately four times the desired widthof the completed tape or strand and the strand'is formed by first folding the edges 3" ofthe 5:.

strip back 'ontothe central portion thereof and in such a way that the edges meet along the median line of the strip as indicatedat 4. This folding is soperformed that the napped o surfaceis on'the outside. This produces a ion two-ply strip, both sides of which present a napped surface. This two-ply strip is then again folded along its median line so as to bring the two previously-folded edge portions 3 together with a face-to-face contact as shown in Figs; 4 and 5.

By this folding operation the raw meeting edges 4 of the strand are entirely concealed within the folded structure and a four-ply strand or tape 5 is provided having smooth rounded or folded edges. One edge 6 of velvetyto the touch. The strand thus has a soft velvety exterior with no raw edge and no weave structure showing and because of the manner in which the strip 15 folded and creased it will retain its folded condition while being manipulated in forming the braid 9 of which the rug, cushion or other article 10 is made. The soft velvety pile surface of the tape gives it an appearance very similar to that of a tape made from a more expensive firmly woven or lustrous fabric and hence with myinvention it is possible to produce from inexpensive fabric a braided rug having an attractive appearance.

While the creasing of the folded strip is regarded as sufiicient to maintain the strip in its folded condition while being manipulated yet if desired the folded plies of the tape or strand may be stitched together by a line of stitching running longitudinally thereof. The presence of the stitching, however, is not necessary as by properly creasing the folded tape it will retain its folded condition while being used.

Iclaim.

1. The method of making a tape or strand for use in braiding rugs and the like, which method consists in subjecting one face of a strip of coarsely-woven light-weight fabric to a napping operation to raise a pile, foldingthe edge portions of the strip back onto the center portion with the napped surface outside, and with the edges of the strip meeting along a median line thereof and then folding the folded strip along said median line to enclose the edges thereby niakinga four-ply strand,the exterior surface of which is a napped surface, and creasing the folds formed in the strip thereby to retain the strip in its folded condition.

2. A strand for use in braiding rugs and 

